The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has finally received the Federal Government’s approval, and has issued a new guideline categorising Nigerian seafarers and dockworkers as essential duty workers.
By implication, both can now receive passage permit to and from their residence to the seaport or jetties to perform their official duties of ensuring the movement of international trade.
Also, ship owners can now effect crew change that would enable onboard workers to be able to come ashore to reunite with their families and for those ashore to be able to join ships when necessary.
This development is coming months after industry stakeholders raised alarm that many seafarers were stuck onboard vessels and oil platforms, unable to come ashore while those ashore were unable to go home to their families due to the interstate lockdown, shut down of airports and land borders to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a marine notice recently published in national dailies by NIMASA, the agency tasked employers of dockworkers to take the responsibility of ensuring that all measures of preventing the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) as stipulated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) are observed to minimise occupational risks.
“Employers are responsible for providing, where necessary and so far, as is reasonably practicable, adequate protective clothing and equipment at no cost to the dockworkers,” the notice stated,
It is also directed that employers must ensure that workers who absent from work as a result of COVID-19 are compensated for the suspension of earnings they suffer as a consequence.
“Mandatory use of nose masks shall be enforced within all terminals and jetties, mandatory temperature checks shall be conducted on all staff before accessing the terminals and anyone who presents temperature above 38 degrees shall not be allowed entry,” the notice further stated.
It further directed all docklabour employers to ensure that all bus deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic has 50 percent maximum capacity, ensure that passengers wear nose masks, provide sanitisers for all passengers and drivers to use and have all buses frequently disinfected.
“All employers shall ensure social distancing of two meters maintained between people in the workplace and other public spaces within and around port terminals,” the agency added in the notice.
